Sarah Lancashire’s New Project Is “Opportunity Of A Lifetime”
Actress Sarah Lancashire says working on the BBC’s new Talking Heads series which begins next week was an “unforgettable experience”
The actress, who stars as Caroline in Last Tango in Halifax and Sgt Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley, is one of 12 stars appearing in a remake of Alan Bennett’s hugely acclaimed monologues which first aired in the 1980s.
The latest series was filmed during the Covid-19 lockdown at the BBC’s Elstree Studios using existing sets.
“The sets all needed refurnishing and redressing, but nothing could be done that couldn’t be done by one person, or one person with a trolley,” says Nicholas Hynter, the Producer and Lead Director. Rehearsals, however, were a little trickier.
“Zoom rehearsals have no future. Working with an actor cries out for human contact. But we all managed, because there was no alternative. It’s the same as seeing your family and closest friends only on screen – better than nothing at all, but nothing like enough. Still, we coped.”
Sarah stars in one of two new monologues written by Alan especially for this series: An Ordinary Woman and The Shrine. In An Ordinary Woman she plays Gwen, who, according to the BBC’s official preview, “thought there would be something that gave you immunity, that you couldn’t fall for your own child”.
Sarah Lancashire plays Gwen in An Ordinary Woman on the BBC’s new Talking Heads series
“I own a copy of the original Talking Heads by Alan Bennett, which I purchased many years ago shortly after they were first broadcast. It’s been lovingly well-thumbed over the years. They are magnificent. A masterpiece.
“To be asked to perform a new Talking Head was beyond any expectation. The matchless brilliance of Alan Bennett’s words coupled with the extraordinary wisdom of Nick Hytner’s direction made this a thrilling experience, and I’m enormously grateful.”
She added that filming the episode was “an unforgettable experience” and “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Other stars in the Talking Heads series include Martin Freeman (the lead in A Confession), Harriet Walter (Countess of Brockenhurst in ITV’s Belgravia), Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and Lucian Msamati (John Faa in His Dark Materials).
Alan says he was “flattered” by the interest in his work.
“The cast is astonishing and they all agreed at the first time of asking,” he says. “I hope this is because they liked the scripts (or maybe it was because nobody else was offering). Anyway I’m most flattered. And grateful. And to the directors too. They were very prompt in saying yes.”
Martin Freeman plays Graham, a middle-aged man who lives with his mother, in A Chip In The Sugar. Their relationship is tested when an old flame comes back into his life. Alan Bennett’s portrayal of Graham in 1987 earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.
Martin Freeman plays Graham in A Chip In The Sugar
Martin, who won an Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy in 2014 for his role as John Watson in the BBC’s Sherlock, says he knew he had big shoes to fill.
“The first thing I said was, well, I’m not going to outdo Alan Bennett, am I? We knew we had to treat it as a new piece of writing, and not be swayed by the folk memory of the original performance.”
The cast and crew all had to follow strict social distancing rules while filming at Elstree, which meant doing their own hair and makeup.
“On the day of shooting it was very weird to keep distance from people; my world is normally quite tactile, as people probably guess! So not even shaking hands with people was odd,” Martin recalls. “I brought in a load of clothes and was presented with some other choices in the morning. Doing my own makeup was alright, though I’m hardly an expert; luckily, for Graham, ‘less is more’.”
Here’s the full list of stars in the Talking Heads series, in alphabetical order:
- Jodie Comer in Her Big Chance (1988), directed by Josie Rourke
- Monica Dolan in The Shrine (2019), directed by Nicholas Hytner
- Martin Freeman in A Chip In The Sugar (1988), directed by Jeremy Herrin
- Tamsin Greig in Nights In The Garden Of Spain (1998), directed by Marianne Elliott
- Sarah Lancashire in An Ordinary Woman (2019), directed by Nicholas Hytner
- Lesley Manville in Bed Among The Lentils (1988), directed by Nicholas Hytner
- Lucian Msamati in Playing Sandwiches (1998), directed by Jeremy Herrin
- Maxine Peake in Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet (1988), directed by Sarah Frankcom
- Rochenda Sandall in The Outside Dog (1998), directed by Nadia Fall
- Kristin Scott Thomas in The Hand Of God (1998), directed by Jonathan Kent
- Imelda Staunton in A Lady Of Letters (1988), directed by Jonathan Kent
- Harriet Walter in Soldiering On (1988), directed by Marianne Elliott
Episode One of Talking Heads – A Lady Of Letters with Imelda Staunton – airs on Tuesday, June 23, at 9pm on BBC One.
